ISLAMABAD : Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to improve coordinationbetween working groups constituted under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Planfor Peace and Solidarity.
The agreement came at the first meeting of the working groups betweenPakistan and Afghanistan in Kabul.
According to Foreign Office Spokesperson, the talks were held under theAfghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity.
Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led a twenty eight member Pakistanidelegation to the talks whereas Afghan side was represented by DeputyAfghan Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan held inaugural meetings of the five WorkingGroups (WGs) under the Afghanistan and Pakistan Action Plan for Peace andSolidarity (APAPPS) in Kabul,” read the statement issued by AfghanPresidential Palace.
According to the statement, the 28-member multi-departmental high-leveldelegation chaired by Janjua arrived in Kabul early Sunday.
The Pakistani delegation includes representatives from different agenciesincluding foreign ministry, commerce, railways, communications, interiorministry, military and intelligence, read the statement.
The APAPPS is a bilateral framework between Afghanistan and Pakistan forenhancing cooperation and coordination between the two nations includingreducing hostility by employing working groups on both sides.
“The APAPPS framework provides a comprehensive and structured mechanism toenhance engagement between counterpart institutions of the two countries.APAPPS is comprised of five Working Groups on Politico-diplomatic,Military, Intelligence, Economic and Trade and Refugees issues,” read thestatement.
“Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister and Foreign Secretary of Pakistan led theirrespective sides in the politico-diplomatic WG besides co-chairing theopening and closing sessions of the APAPPS,” the statement said.
According to the statement, at the inaugural meeting of the Working Groups,the Afghan and Pakistani delegations assessed prospects for the APAPPS formthat covers all mutual interests including anti-terror and security, peaceand reconciliation, bilateral trade and transit, connectivity, Afghanrefugees repatriation and promoting people to people contact.
Following APAPPS inaugural session, the five Working Groups held theirrespective group meetings and discussed Terms of Reference for futureactions and the agenda for their next round of meetings which will be heldin Islamabad, read the statement.